So Bittersweet
by 1982toNow
Summary: Let me warn you, I teared up just typing it. Max's world is turned upside down.


Max had just come in from working in his office at CONTROL headquarters and was very excited to see his very pregnant wife, the beautiful Agent 99. She was in her ninth month of an uneventful pregnancy, except for the morning sickness in the beginning that all mothers-to-be experience. "99, Love, "I'm home!", Max called out as he entered the apartment, hung up his trench coat and began checking the lower floor of the apartment for KAOS traps or other mayhem that might be present…..like an unfortunate piece of furniture or something that could prove and obstacle and be tripped over. "In the kitchen, Love! I'm trying to bake some cookies to have for dessert with dinner….." 99 puffed tiredly from the kitchen. Max opened the swinging kitchen doors to reveal a beautiful sight…..his beloved 99 wearing blue denim maternity overalls with one of his white dress shirts underneath and her hair pulled up in a ponytail. He walked to her and embraced her tummy as he gave her a gentle peck on the tip of her nose which made her giggle. Apparently the baby was amused as well because he (or she) kicked Max hard. "Here 86, taste this", 99 said dipping her index finger into the cookie dough and putting it up to her husband's lips. Max smacked his lips a couple of times and kissed his wife deeply, holding her as close as he could. "Tastes great to me, 99", he said with a gleam in his eye.

Maxwell Smart, CONTROL agent 86 was finally at a place in his life where he was overjoyed. He had a beautiful young wife, a child on the way, a lovely home, and a illustrious career in the realm of espionage. He felt he was truly blessed. Although he had not practiced his Catholic faith since he was a child, he stopped by the Washington Cathedral on his way home that evening and bowed at the altar with his Rosary beads and gave silent thanks for his blessings, crossing himself and leaving with a smile on his face. Now, he was at home, happy with his everything, his Love, his 99.

After dinner, Max and 99 were washing and putting away the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. Max noticed that 99 looked more tired than usual. Her eyes had lost some of their sparkle, and she looked run down. He immediately began to think about how much she had wanted a baby and how silly he was to think that they would have to wait a year to be parents. And he thought about how much his body hurt when he ran through that cement wall when 99 told him she was pregnant. "Oh!", 99 gasped in pain while placing her hand to her round abdomen and taking a deep breath. "Sweetheart, are you okay? Is it the baby?", Max asked, the growing concern evident in his voice as he walked up to his wife and placed his hands on her stomach and kissed her cheek. "Its okay, Love. It was just a pain. Maybe little Max Jr. didn't like my mother's meatloaf recipe.", 99 giggled while trying to hide the fact that something was not right and that the pain was not fading quickly. 99 always went out of her way to not frighten Max or make him feel that something was amiss, and these recent severe pains that had been plaguing her were no exception. The baby was still moving and growing, so 99 felt that the pains were precursors to labor and that the baby would be born soon. Unbeknownst to her, Max knew that something was wrong with her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Later that night, Max and 99 sat in bed, talking and cuddling. Max was gently rubbing 99's belly and looking into her eyes. "99, tell me what's wrong. I noticed you had another one of those pains when you were getting dressed for bed. It brought a tear to your eye. Are you and the baby ok? I'm worried about you.", Max asked and placed a gentle kiss on 99's hand and belly. "Oh, Max, I'm fine. I guess our little angel just wants out.", Mrs. Smart replied softly. The couple kissed and said their goodnights as 99 snuggled into Max and fell asleep. Max lay awake for a few minutes stroking his wife's hair and then fell asleep himself.

The next day, the Smarts tackled the last of their pre-baby chores…..decorating the nursery together. 99 had especially been looking forward to this for quite some time. Max was busy smoothing wallpaper onto the wall while 99 was setting up the mobile and making sure it worked. The mobile had been a gift from the guys in the CONTROL lab. It was so cute with little number eights, sixes, and nines and chimed the tune of "Secret Agent Man" when wound. This made 99 smile. All of a sudden, 99's eyes brimmed with tears and she stumbled forward with pain, catching the side of the crib for balance. Max noticed this from his vantage point on the ladder and jumped down. He placed his hands over 99's where she was holding her stomach. "99, enough is enough. I'm calling Dr. Shaw at CONTROL. These pains are not contractions and you need to be looked at. I'll get our coats.", Max said sternly. 99 began to panic. She was in denial that something was wrong and just wanted to complete her pregnancy. "Now Max, I have an appointment in two days. It can wait until then. Nobody said carrying a baby would be easy or painless.", 99 reasoned, almost trying to convince herself. "See, Love, I'm just fine." Max gave his wife a kiss and rubbed her stomach gently. It was killing him inside to see his wife in pain.

That evening, 99 sat on the sofa in the living room watching her favorite TV show, _Honey West_. "I wish I had a pet…..I sure do miss K-13. Poor Fang. At least Honey has Bruce to talk to….", 99 thought to herself. Fang had been retired a couple of years ago and then died shortly after when he was poisoned by KAOS. "Well now you do, Love. Meet, um…. Bruce!" Max bounced in the door, giving 99 the cutest little black puppy with a white speck at the tip of its tail. "Oh, Max! He's so cute! Hi little fella…..", 99 cooed to the puppy, holding him up to her face as he gave her a sloppy puppy kiss. Max also had another surprise. He reached into his trench coat pocket and pulled out a tiny Little Golden Book titled, "And Baby Makes Three". He then proceeded to read his baby a book through 99's tummy as she petted her new little friend sitting beside her. 99 smiled and looked into his wife's eyes. Little did Max know of the sadness that lay just over the horizon.

Max and 99 lay in bed asleep with Max's arm around her stomach. Suddenly, 99 awoke with a start. Stifling a cry, 99's eyes widened in pain as she slowly crept from the bed to the open window. After fresh air and deep breaths did nothing to quell her pain, she proceeded downstairs to the kitchen where she silently poured a glass of milk, hoping that the familiar liquid would calm and soothe her stomach, but it was to no avail. 99 sat the glass on the counter and staggered into the living room, letting out a loud wail and sliding to the floor, sitting against the wall. Meanwhile upstairs, Max had heard the commotion. He called out "99" and quickly slid into his slippers and 86 robe. He bent down to his wife. She was fading into unconsciousness and wrapped her hands around her husband's neck for support. "My God, 99! Love, wake up! Max grabbed his keys, picked up his wife and raced out of the apartment carrying her downstairs to the car. He then proceeded to race to the hospital.

Max, the Chief, Hymie, Larrabee and 99's mother all sat in the waiting room. 99 had been rushed to the OB emergency suite with Max at her side until the doors were closed and he couldn't go any further. He nervously smoked a cigarette as he replayed their short life together in his mind. Their first meeting. Their first kiss. Their wedding, their strange but memorable wedding night, and the day they found out they would become parents. The night that they made what seemed like endless love and ended their night by Max giving 99 a ring and breathlessly proposing marriage to her, with which she replied a happy and breathless yes. Max's eyes were swollen from the endless tears. Chief, 99's mother, Hymie, and Larrabee all sat, quiet, motionless in a state of fervent prayer for the wellbeing of 99 and her baby. Suddenly from the silence, the doctor and two nurses emerged from the OR. Max immediately stood up along with the party that had gathered with him and noticed that the nurses had been crying and that one of them was carrying a box of tissues. "Mr. Smart, I'm Doctor Lucas. Your wife suffered what is called a placental abrubtion. You see, the organ that provided nourishment and blood to the baby tore away from her womb and caused catastrophic bleeding. I'm sorry. The blood loss was too great. We lost her.", Max collapsed, all the color draining from his face. 99's mother let out a loud scream, "No! Not my child, my only child!" The Chief went to her side as she collapsed and Hymie and Larrabee attempted to help Max to his feet as he sobbed. Dr. Lucas' nurses aided in the situation, holding 99's mother while holding back tears of their own. Suddenly, Max had a moment of clarity and sprang from the waiting room sofa. "Doctor, where is the baby? Did he survive? May I please see my wife?", Max asked, staring off into oblivion. "Mr. Smart, the babies are fine. Twin A, the girl, was five pounds, and the boy, Twin B, was 6 pounds. They are both about to be transferred to the nursery." Before the realization could set in that he was now the father of two babies, two nurses came into the room pushing the babies in a single isolette to meet their new, motherless family. When Max laid eyes on his children, his heart melted. His tears continued to fall. He touched their tiny faces. "Oh God, I can't go on. I need you, 99! We need you!", Max wailed as he fell to the floor again. 99's mother rushed to the isolette and picked up one of the babies. This momentarily stifled the pain, but not the anguish in her heart.

Two nurses flanked Max as they walked to the morgue. "Mr. Smart, take all the time you need. We'll be just in the next room.", the nurse said as she led Max to the bed where 99 was taking her eternal rest. He eased the sheet back to reveal 99 looking as if she were only asleep. Max took in a sharp gasp and then lightly touched her face. He then brushed his lips with hers. "The babies are wonderful, 99. God, I'm sorry you had to die. I promise with all of my heart and soul that I will raise our children right, to be good and decent people. I saw your paper where you were trying to come up with names for them. I chose Ninna Maxine for our daughter and Zachary Thaddeus for our son. Wonderful names for wonderful children. My love, I love you so much…. Oh God! Why? I can't go on like this!", Max screamed. The nurses after hearing the commotion came into the room and assisted Max to the nursery to be with his children once again.

"…..on behalf of the President of the United States, please accept this flag as a token of our gratitude for your wife's sacrifice to her country….", the Marine soldier stated formally as he handed Max the three-cornered American flag. The simple graveside service was all that Max and 99's mother could stand; they had both decided against a service in a church. Chief and Hymie each held a baby as Max and 99's mother were in no condition to hold them during the service. The air was crisp, not exactly cold. It was the type of weather 99 had so loved. Max's heart was heavy, but he knew that he had to go on for his children.

The twins were now bouncing, happy one and a half year olds. They always kept Max going. Bruce had quickly grown from a puppy to a full grown dog and ferociously protected the apartment. Max was a wonderful father. He got up every morning at 6 o'clock, fed them, dressed them, combed little Ninna's hair, got himself ready for work and waited on the nanny. He made it his business to be home by 5 pm unless he was on a mission that prevented it. 99's mother had moved to Washington and vowed never to leave until the twins were adults or she was called to eternity, whichever came first. Max cooked and fed dinner to his children, bathed them, and tucked them into their beds at night, always telling them a story of their courageous mother. Max made sure that 99's picture was everywhere in the house, especially in the twins' room. They were beautiful; Ninna had big, beautiful brown eyes and jet black hair with a curl at the top of her head and curls at the ends. Zach had big blue eyes and brown hair just like his wonderful mother.

Max had just finished dressing his babies and getting them ready for mass. It was a beautiful spring day. The sun was shining bright and Max was finally coming to terms with 99's departure. "Today is the day….", Max sighed to himself. He was going to take his babies to the cemetery to 99's grave. The family, including Bruce, loaded up in Max's new station wagon that he and 99 had gotten just before the twins were born.

Max put Bruce's leash on and helped the children out of the car and then the group proceeded to the grassy bluff which was Mrs. Maxwell Smart's resting place. Her headstone was simple and beautiful, just like she was in life. It read:

Mrs. Maxwell Smart

Our "99"

1941-1969

"Oh, Max…"

Little Ninna touched the cool stone and kissed it and said, "MaMa" softly. Max went to his daughter, picked her up in his arms and said, "Would you believe your Mommy was Miss America, 1968?", Ninna giggled at her father. "Would you believe, Miss Universe." Ninna shook her head. "Would you believe, the most wonderful woman in the world?"


End file.
